


Breaking Point

by Hideaki



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: (other additional tags to be added), Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2017-12-21
Packaged: 2019-02-18 04:03:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13092024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hideaki/pseuds/Hideaki
Summary: “I know it sounds stupid but it is kind of a big deal for me. I mean my twin sister is getting married and I don’t even have a date. So, I was wondering, if you wanted to come with me? We just have to pretend to be dating and all that."Jack just stares back at him, mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you asking me to be your fake boyfriend?”





	Breaking Point

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Talli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talli/gifts).



> I'm nervous and excited about posting this fic I've written as a Secret Santa present for my sweet sweet friend Talli, I hope you like it <3
> 
> (Special thanks go to my Super Secret Beta that has been holding my hand through the various breakdowns I had while writing this fic, I owe U my life pal.)

 

Last weeks of SEP have been strenuous, once they finished all the cycles of injections required to complete the program, they’ve gone under endless hours of testing and check-ins to measure exactly how far their new bodies can go, how much they can endure before meeting the breaking point. It was as bad if not worse than the injections themselves, being tormented with tests that would kill or severely maim normal humans. It didn’t make any of them feel like a superhero or a god, the pain and the tiredness overcame any kind of positive, egoistic feeling. But it was ok, they’ve learnt to accept necessary sacrifices for a greater good.

Jack exhales, looking up at the sky. He sits on his favorite corner of the track field, where he’s spent most of his breaks since the program started. He’s not going to miss any of this. He’s not going to miss any of the things that happened in this confined space. If anything, realising he can stop being a good soldier for a moment and look up at  the sky from outside this prison, makes him feel like he can breathe again.

He recognises Gabriel’s footsteps before he can even approach him. Jack turns, smiling, his eyes crinkling a little against the sunlight. If Gabriel stays by his side after SEP is over, he really has nothing to miss about this place. 

Gabriel tosses a water bottle to Jack. No matter how many laps he runs, Jack doesn’t feel the need to drink anymore and he tends to forget he needs to. Gabriel sits on the grass next to him without saying anything. His shoulders are tense and Jack knows there must be something worrying him. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” he sounds defensive.

Jack turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “What is it, Reyes?”

Gabriel opens his mouth, closes it, looks up at the sky. Jack’s expression softens, Gabriel must be actually anxious. Is it about the end of the program? The war? Jack puts a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder, he wants him to know that he is going to be there, he’s going to follow him no matter what.

“Is something wrong?” he sounds so genuinely concerned that Gabriel sighs.

“No, not really. I mean kinda. It’s nothing serious.”

“You can tell me everything, you know that.”

He knows. He knows awfully well how deeply he can trust Jack. The time they spent in the program really brought them close. It’s good to have a partner like Jack, someone who will always watch your back on the battlefield, listen to you when you need to vent and let you cry on his shoulder without asking questions when you need to just break down for a while. The issue is that the feelings he has for Jack have turned into something else entirely than loyalty and camaraderie for your brother in arms. The issue is that what he is about to ask Jack will complicate things. For Gabriel at least.

“My twin sister is getting married.” he says in a flat tone.

“That-” Jack blinks twice “That doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Is it a bad thing? Is she marrying an asshole?”

“No, no they’re fine. The thing is, you know, I don’t have a plus one to bring with me at the wedding.” Jack cocks his head, confused. “I know it sounds stupid but it is kind of a big deal for me. I don’t want to show up alone. I mean my  _ twin sister _ is getting married and I don’t even have a date.”

Gabriel rubs the back of his neck, forcing himself to keep eye contact with Jack even if embarrassment is almost making him blush “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? Like, we just have to  _ pretend _ to be dating and all that.” 

Jack just stares back at him, mouth hanging slightly open. “Are you asking me to be your fake boyfriend?”

Gabriel covers his face with his hand. “God I’m sorry. It sounds even stupider to say it outloud. Forget about it.”

Jack frowns, his thoughts running at lightspeed in his head. This is a very unexpected situation but every instinct in his body tells him to refuse. His crush on Gabriel can be seen from a mile away already, last thing he needs is to  _ pretend _ to be his boyfriend.

“No it’s fine. I can do it, no problem bro.”

“What? Seriously? You don’t mind?” Gabriel looks at Jack again, his eyes bright and full of positive surprise.

“Yeah sure. It’s not a big deal anyway right?” It is a big deal for Jack, but he’s happy at the idea of spending his leave with Gabriel and he has done far worse things for him.

“Right. Not a big deal.” he answers, his smile faltering a little. 

Of course Jack doesn’t think this is something risky or special, it’s not like he has to deal with having the worst crush on his best friend like Gabriel does.

“When is the wedding?”

“Next week. My parents asked me to join them some days earlier so I can help setting up things for the ceremony and all. I will probably travel to Cali as soon as we get discharged but, yeah, you can join us later? Just for the wedding I mean.”

“No, I don’t mind. I can come with you. I don’t really have anywhere else to be. And, besides, what kind of shitty boyfriend would I be? I am a pretty good date actually you know?” Jack smiles and winks and Gabriel mentally curses himself. 

He can’t resist  _ that smile _ . This is not going to end well. He snatches the water bottle from Jack’s hands, taking a big gulp of it. “We should plan this carefully.”

Gabriel squints at him. “What do you mean?”

“We are going to be asked questions. Like, we should settle on the same answer if they ask us how we met or how, well, how we fell in love right?” Gabriel swears he can see the tip of Jack’s ears turning vaguely pink.

“I guess so, yeah. I think it’s safer to stick to the truth. We can say we met in the program and that we started dating at some point.”

“Secretly of course due to the fraternisation rule.” Jack finishes his sentence. “We can say I’ve confessed my feelings for you by the time of the fourth row of injections, after you’ve been in a coma for seventy four hours.” 

Gabriel stares at him for a few seconds. That’s weirdly specific. But then again Jack always has had a good mind for organising plans and strategy.

“What? I think that’s pretty believable.” His ears get pinkier. 

“I hope I look close to your type by the way or our cover is blown.” he laughs. 

‘ _ You’re my type _ ’ Gabriel would answer, but he has to limit himself to make an unintelligible sound, until he just blurts out “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it. And neither have my parents so don’t worry about it.”

“God I hope I don’t fuck this up” Jack chuckles.

“You won’t.” Gabriel blurts out without thinking and regrets it immediately after “You’re good at sticking to plans, soldier.” he says as he gets up, offering a hand to Jack and hoping his smile looks confident enough to convince the both of them this is a good idea.

 

\-----

 

It feels weird to actually leave the SEP facility for good. The only thing they bring with them it’s one duffel bag each, all their belongings easily fitting there. They’ve been in the program for a little over a year and it feels like they’ve been frozen in time. Having so little connection with the outside world made Jack wonder how it would feel to be a civilian again, he found himself thinking about it more and more often as the months passed. His friendship with Gabriel helped him to not feel completely alienated from society, a thin line between keeping your humanity and becoming a superhuman tool. He could always trust Gabriel to talk about simple things, sometimes enjoying Gabriel’s company so much it was easy to forget about the war, about the injections and responsibilities altogether. 

The sense of freedom that comes from buying the plane tickets and just deciding where to go it’s almost overwhelming. Not quite though, since Gabriel is standing next to him, boarding pass between his lips as he texts with one hand and holds a coffee cup with the other. He looks good in civilian clothes.

He stuffs his phone in the back pocket of his jeans and turns to Jack. “I rented two suits, hope you’re ok with wearing blue.” 

“Uh, sure. I think I’ve never worn a suit before.” he chuckles.

“What? Not even to prom?” Gabriel sits next to him in the waiting area close to their gate.

“Ah! No, you caught me, I never went to prom actually. Why are you so surprised? Did Gabriel ‘My Chemical Romance are still relevant in 2055” Reyes wear an actual suit to prom?”

Gabriel bring his free hand to his chest, dramatically pretending to be offended “First of all, My Chemical Romance will  _ always _ be relevant.” Jack rolls his eyes and smiles. “Second of all, no, I wore a hoodie and red converse at prom like any decent broody punk would, who do you think I am, Morrison?”

Jack laughs genuinely, sitting back more comfortably on the metal chair of the airport. His body got so big that he barely fits comfortably there now.

“Right, should have figured that out.” He concedes himself a moment to imagine a young Gabriel at prom, probably wearing a beanie and sneaking cigarettes in. He smiles to himself; his teenage self would definitely have had a crush on Gabriel even back then. 

Jack feels a weird pang of pain in his stomach, an odd mixture of anxiety and sadness getting to him for a few seconds. He winces a little, forcing himself to focus on something else.

“Are you alright Jackie?” 

There is no point into lying to Gabriel, not about something like this.

“Yeah, just a bit worried about this fake boyfriend thing. I’m nervous about meeting your parents” he laughs uncomfortably “and I’ve never been to a wedding, nor wore a suit for that matter. I don’t want to look like a stupid boy raised in a farm in front of all your family.”

Gabriel puts a hand on Jack’s thigh, strong and reassuring. “You’ll be fine I promise. Have you looked yourself in the mirror lately? You’re hot and you will look great in a suit so don’t worry about it, alright?” 

Jack smiles, somewhat embarrassed but also more at ease, lopsided grin blooming on his face and making Gabriel smile in return.

When they’re on the plane they exchange very few words. In general they are not always chatty when they’re around people, they tend to not speak out loud and they don’t really need it. More often than not they can communicate with each other with their eyes or simple gestures they’ve learned to pick up about the other very early on during the SEP training. 

Jack lets himself doze off for most of the flight, feeling secure enough sitting next to Gabriel. When he wakes up again his eyes immediately focus on Gabriel’s hands. He’s tapping his fingers rhythmically against his own thighs, a nervous habit he has that Jack has learnt to recognize. He probably won’t say anything about it to Jack though, he wants to appear calm and in control to help Jack’s anxiety. 

Jack wants to cover Gabriel’s twitchy hand with his own, hold it tightly, tell him that he is here for him, that he can count on him and he doesn’t need to worry. Jack balls his own hand into a fist, his knuckles turning white. He can’t take Gabriel’s hand with his. He’s not ready to deal with the consequences that an action like that would bring up, especially not right before being stuck playing Gabriel’s boyfriend for a week. He can’t risk throwing in the trash the relationship he has with Gabriel because it means too much for him to ruin it, enough that he can stuff his feelings down his throat and play the nice friend for how long as Gabriel will need him to.

When the landing is announced Gabriel turns to Jack, looking him straight in the eyes nodding meaningfully. They’re doing this, there’s no going back now.

 

\-----

  
  


Gabriel used to spend summers during his childhood in the big house on the beach in San Clemente, his parents would leave him and his sisters with their grandparents. He only has good memories of those summers. The house is far enough from the city that you can immerse yourself in nature. There’s a peacefulness that Gabriel managed to find only in the ocean. Now that they arrive in front of this old house that he hasn’t seen, nor really thought about, in so many years, Gabriel feels something weird in his chest, a kind of longing that has a bittersweet tinge to it.

Jack looks at Gabriel and recognizes an anxious yet excited expression. It's been a while since the last time he met his family, the months where he has been away have been a struggle of helplessness and suffering and now being back home carries a meaning that is hard to comprehend but extremely powerful. Jack fistbumps Gabriel's shoulder, offering a cocky smile when he turns to him. He lets Gabriel know that he is here with him, that he can count on him.

The door of the house is open, so they step inside. Gabriel is about to open his mouth to announce themselves but he doesn't manage to say a word.

"Gabriel!”

A small and robust woman hurries to the door, throwing her arms around Gabriel's torso. Gabriel seems hesitant for a couple of seconds but then he lets his duffel bag fall on the floor, gently circling his mother shoulders with his arms.

"Hey mama.” his voice is sweet, full of affection that, despite not being directed at Jack, makes him feel happy.

"God you've got so big." Gabriel's mother retreats a little from her hug, looking up at Gabriel and running her small hands over his biceps.

Gabriel smiles, a bit embarrassed. At last the woman’s eyes move to Jack and he immediately senses himself freezing into place. Without thinking, out of habit more than anything else, he stands at attention.

"Emma, Xavier! Gabriel is back" she screams as she keeps looking at Jack.

"Gabriel?" a muffled voice yells back from the hallway. They can hear some hurried steps, then a younger woman reaches the hallway. She's taller than Gabriel's mother, fit, and her posture and expression look confident. Her eyes shine as bright as her smile.

"Gabi! You're actually here." she throws herself against Gabriel's chest, not really a hug as much as a full body clash against him. He rests his chin on top of her head. 

"I'm home." as soon as he closes his mouth his sister takes a step back, looking up to meet Gabriel's eyes. 

"Is he the new boyfriend?" she asks without tearing her eyes away from Gabriel, her gaze almost challenging. It ignites the 'competitive brother' side of Gabriel, making him gain a certain confidence that he didn't have a few minutes ago.

"He sure is." Jack shifts his weight from one leg to the other. He tries to smile but he's afraid it doesn't come out too well.

"Of course you're the one bringing a white guy home." she says, friendly punching gabriel's shoulder. Jack coughs.

Gabriel crosses his arms on his chest and Jack knows it means he has a sick comeback ready. Jack promptly waits for it.

"I- Oh, dad." Gabriel's shoulders drop. His father is a couple inches shorter than Gabriel but the way Gabe deflates when he approaches makes Gabriel look smaller than he is.

"Welcome home Gabi" his voice is soft like Gabriel's but calmer. When they hug, Gabriel's father puts a hand on the back of Gabriel's head and rests it there. It's such an intimate gesture that Jack pointedly stares at his feet, almost feeling like he's intruding.

Well, also because he feels observed right now. And he thought that being studied like a lab rat was intimidating.

"So, Gabriel, are you going to introduce us to him or do I have to do it myself." Gabriel's mother breaks the silence.

"Uh- yeah. This is Jack, my boyfriend." it feels odd to say that aloud, in front of his family. 

He looks at Jack for reassurance and ends up having to hide a smile. Jack looks stiff and awkward, standing in a perfect soldier stance but failing at not playing with the hem of his sweatshirt behind his back. It's cute.

"Nice to meet you." the smile he manages to show is not one of his best but it looks convincing enough given the situation.

"No, nice to meet  _ you _ Jack, we've been waiting to meet you since Gabriel told us he would be bringing you home. No offense Gabi but that was an unexpected news." she squints at Jack "I though fraternization was forbidden."

Jack clears his voice "Yeah, well, we kept it secret."

"And we're out of the program now, so it doesn't matter anymore." Gabriel intervenes.

"Good, I'm happy my Gabriel found himself such a pretty boyfriend despite everything." both Jack and Gabriel blush at the woman's words.

"Mom..."

"Okay, okay, too soon to embarrass you, I get it, I’ll give you some more time to prepare yourself. You should go set your stuff in your room by the way, dinner's ready in twenty minutes, and I don't want anyone to be late. We will have time to get to know Jack then." she says in a tone that is slightly worrying. Jack swallows, dryly.

 

\-----

 

Gabriel’s dad escorts them to their room without adding much if not repeating to not be late for dinner.

“Gloria would be pissed.” he says before leaving them in from of the door to their room and Jack lets out the quickest  _ yessir _ that Gabriel has ever heard him say which is, all things considered, pretty impressive.

No one slept in this room when Gabriel and Emma passed their summer holidays in San Clemente. It was supposed to be Gabriel's older sister's room but she always had plans with her friends and rarely stayed on the seaside with her grandparents and younger siblings. The room doesn’t look lived in, it doesn't have any personal objects except for some family pictures on a small table under the window. Half of the space of the room is taken by a huge king size bed.

"The bed looks comfy." Jack says as he leaves his bag in a corner, wasting no time diving on the bed. "I feel like it's been three centuries since I slept on a bed worthy of being called a bed."

Gabriel turns back to him, chuckling when he sees him sprawled on the mattress, legs and arms spread out and a blissful expression on his face. The warm colors of the late sunset timidly reach Jack's face, giving his soft expression an accent of calmness that Gabriel hasn't seen on his face since they started the soldier enhancements program. Jack opens his eyes and finds Gabriel looking at him. For some reason that he can't explain, Gabriel doesn't stop staring, too attracted by Jack's icy eyes contrasting the orange shades of the sun to pretend he wasn’t watching him.

"What?" Jack mouths without quite actually speaking. A corner of his mouth turns slightly up, amused.

"You're such a dork, Jack." he says as he goes back to putting his stuff in a drawer.

Jack remains silent, laying on the bed until he gets up all at once "Wait, am I supposed to dress up nicely for tonight’s dinner?" he exclaims as he looks down at his own sweatshirt and frowns.

" _ Such. A. Dork. _ " Gabriel laughs, pointing every word with a snap of his fingers.

“Just answer me, asshole.” he pouts, crossing his arms on his chest. When Gabriel turns to him Jack sticks his tongue out and Gabriel laughs some more.

He sits cross legged on the bed so he can face Jack when he speaks again. “Listen, it’s just a dinner, you don’t have to dress up fancy, you don’t have to do anything weird to impress anyone. Sure, I know my mom she’s going to ask us, and especially you, a shitton of questions but you got this alright? It will only be  _ slightly _ worse than a interrogation room I promise.” 

Jack chuckles, covering his face with his hands. “Okay. Okay, yes I am overthinking this, am I not?”

“You kinda are, yeah. My sis is getting married, we’re not authorised freaking out on a fake dating cover.”

Jack sighs, sitting up too. “Just, one more question. Should I hold your hand? Like while we go downstairs. Or like, in general. I mean, I would hold your hand if we were actually dating. Not that we have to! Sorry I was just wondering if it would be weird or something.” Jack’s skin tone grew at least three shades more red in the last thirty seconds. It’s so adorable Gabriel has to bite his lip to not laugh. 

“You can hold my hand, it’s fine. You can do whatever feels natural to keep our cover up ok? I won’t judge you.” Jack blue eyes lock on his for a few seconds, but Gabriel feels studied so deeply it seems like it lasts ages.

“Alright.” Jack says at last “We’ve got this. They’re just gonna ask us some questions, I don’t actually have to win the prize as best boyfriend of the year” he squints at Gabriel “and I’m afraid no existing person could actually meet your standards anyway.” 

Gabriel blinks twice at him, indignant. “Shut the fuck up Morrison.” If only he knew he alone had set Gabriel’s entire standards.  

Jack makes a face at him again, then turns to watch the orange shaded clouds outside of the windows. Gabriel notices he’s playing with the hem of his sweatshirt again, his fingers tormenting the fabric nervously. 

He brings an arm to Jack shoulder and squeezes it. “Thank you Jack. I know it’s a lot to ask, I really appreciate it man. I don’t want you to stress out on this more than it’s necessary ok? We don’t have to do anything weird, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Stop thanking me, please. I told you I want to do this, I owe you a lot Gabe.” he shrugs, fistbumbing Gabriel’s bicep and athletically standing up from the bed. 

“Besides, maybe this is all my evil plan to get to know embarrassing stories about you  _ Gabi _ , so I can blackmail you until the end of time.” he winks, walking to the door. 

Gabriel gets up from the bed too, ready to answer back but Jack precedes him “Let’s go now, I don’t want you to be yelled at by your mom the day you come back home.” 

God. His grin is _ infuriating _ , as usual. And Gabriel loves it.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was supposed to be a one shot story but I had to break it down in two chapters for various reasons. Next chapter is going to be much longer and juicy *wiggle eyebrows* 
> 
> Writing these tropes is really out of my comfort zone so it would be even nicer than usual to know your opinions on this story ;U; I'm having a lot of fun writing about these dumb boys in love tbh :'D
> 
> Every comment, kudos, bookmark is greatly appreciated <3 I'll post the next chapter asap :*  
> You can find me on twitter [@ratty_lally](https://twitter.com/ratty_lally) and on tumblr [@junkxrat](http://junkxrat.tumblr.com/)


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